Chapter 57

* Janie *

“Why can’t I have my phone? Aren’t you people done figuring out that it’s fine yet?” It’s been days since I heard anything from the outside or was allowed to contact anyone, and I was beginning to think that I’d been kidnapped and no one else knew where I was. It’s not normal, is it? That no one came to check on me, and no one called?

I wouldn’t say the staff has been deplorable, but they’re not very accommodating. My every demand has been ignored, and the food here sucks. I’m not dead, whatever the case may be, so I don’t see why I can’t have what I want for dinner. Is this how they really treat people in hospitals? “And why are my hands still tied?”

This new bitch wasn’t as talkative as the one with the camera; it’s like she couldn’t even hear me though she was right there in the room with me. And the doctors, what’s up with them speaking to me as if I had lost my mind?

I felt a sudden fear in my chest as I looked around the room for the millionth time. No one talks to me here, I can scream and scream, and they don’t even flinch, not even when they’re just a few feet away from me in the same room. “What’s going on? What is this place?”

“Ms. Andrews, we’ve told you, you’re in the hospital. You’ve been poisoned with some kind of toxin that the doctors are still trying to figure out. Until we do, you cannot leave, and no one may come in except for the medical staff who has been trained to handle such things.”

“Stop calling me that. My name is Sumner, Mrs. Ryder Sumner.”

“If you say so, dear.”

There she goes again, talking like a damn robot; even that little smile she gave me at the end was creepy as hell. And what the hell does she mean ‘if I say so’? It is so; I’m Ryder’s wife and have been for five years.

Five years, oh no. There was something about that number that made me nervous, but I can’t for the life of me remember why. I’ve been gripped with fear for all the days that I’ve been here, days that have now started running together until I’ve lost count of exactly how long it has been since I was brought here. There was something very strange about this place, something that didn’t seem quite right.

“I want to go to the bathroom. Untie my hands.” I tugged at the restraints to no avail. “I’m not going to scratch at my face. Come on.” It had been days since I’d had the urge, and yet they refused to release my arms.

It was very embarrassing having to go on myself, even wearing the diapers they’d put on me after the first time I’d shit myself. I tried fighting back the tears as I began to feel sorry for myself again. That’s an all-day thing for me now in this dreadful place. “And what is that droning noise?” I wanted to cover my ears to escape the sound that had been piping through the walls since the night before.

“Sound? What sound?” She looked at me like I was crazy.

“Do you have to act like a robot bitch?” She was starting to scare me so much that I actually preferred the other annoying one. And why is she smiling like that? Creepy bitch, as soon as they untie me, I’m going to punch her in the face first thing.

“It’s time for your medicine.” I started shaking my head as soon as she started walking towards me with a needle that looked like it was ten inches long. I’ve always been deathly afraid of needles, but there was no escaping her or the look in her eyes that seemed rather sinister if you ask me.

I guess you’d have to be some kind of sicko to enjoy poking that thing in people all day, sick bitch. I felt the sting from the needle, and within seconds my body went limp. “Ryder, I want Ryder.”

“Sorry, Ryder won’t be coming to see you. He’s too busy starting over his new life with the love of his life, Elena.”

“What?” The word was slurred, and I think I felt something wet on my face, like drool.

“What did you say bitch?” There was no heat in my words; my voice was weak.

“I didn’t say anything, Ms. Andrews. Sweet dreams.” Dreams, no, no. Whenever I close my eyes, I see the most horrific things, don’t let me go to sleep, don’t let me go…. I watched her receding back through blurry eyes as she left the room, my screams now trapped in my head.

***

* Lyon *

“Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

“What do you mean, Daddy?”

“What’re you doing to that girl, and where exactly is she?”

“She’s fine.”

“You’re not going to tell me where you sent her?”

“Nope, she likes driving people to madness. Let her see what that feels like. If I told you, you might feel sorry for her and let her out. Besides, Uncle Gabriel says this place is the best.”

“Is your Uncle Gabriel going to bail your ass outta jail?”

“Never mind all that, Daddy, listen. I need you to tell Ryder not to panic.”

“Why? What are you about to do?”

“A lot of things, but first, we need to buy the rights to his music.”

“You what? Why would I be doing that, shi… I mean, why Mengele?”

“Trust me, it’s part of my plan, and besides, you can afford it. Uncle Hank said it was okay.” I looked across the room at Mancini, who was pretending not to know that I was looking at him. “How much is it?”

“One hundred and fifty.”

“That’s it? A hundred and fifty grand?”

“Million Daddy, million.”

“Dafuq, MENGELE.” She hung up on me.

“Mancini, are you out of your fucking mind? You told my kid she can spend that kind of money?”

“She knows what she’s doing.” He flipped a page and smirked. This fuck!

“She’s fucking ten.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always saying she’s only ten on paper?”

“Who dafuq sent you? Seriously, how did you end up in my life? My hands were already full with her bullshit, but you only make it worst.” The asshole just grinned and kept paging through the magazine he was pretending to read with his nosy ass. “That’s coming out of your cut.”

“Are you sure? Because she’s about to triple that if I know her.”

“How is she gonna do that? Mengele don’t know shit about the music industry.” He gave me a look that spoke volumes. Hitler’s youth know shit about every damn thing. “Fine, but why are we doing this now?”

“She says it’s part of her plan. I didn’t ask, I just gave her the go-ahead, but I told her she should let you know what she’s doing.”

“Oh, so you two decided, and you’re just letting me know.”

“Would you have told her no?” He’s got a point but still. That’s a lotta fucking money.

“Is his shit any good?”

“The kid is the best. But I don’t think that’s the only reason she wants to buy his catalog; I think she plans to trap someone.”

“Who?”

“She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. Unlike some people, I trust her. I just like to be surprised by her little schemes. They’re doing pretty good on their own, aren’t they?” Of course, they are because you encourage them in their shit, you demented fuck. But I have to admit, though grudgingly, that those three little miscreants have been handling themselves well.

“I guess, but damn, why is she so fucking vicious?” He looked at me as if to say it was my fault.

“She’s your kid.” Yeah, but I was never as fucked in the head as she is. Fucking Kat fed her that shit in her breastmilk or some shit.

How had my life come to this? I glared at Mancini, who had his head buried in that damn magazine.

My shit was fine until he showed up. Ridding the world of assholes one day at a time was working out for me on my own with my little crew of misfits; now, this one has been hunting down these things that call themselves human on an international scale. Has it only been four years? Fuck, feels like half my lifetime has gone by messing with this fool.

“What is she planning to do to the kid since you know so much?” Come to think of it, everyone else on the island answers to me, but my kid goes to her Uncle Hank instead of coming to me with shit unless she wants to annoy me when she’s pretending to be a ten-year-old wanting to do little girl shit.

“She didn’t say, but I imagine it has something to do with his image. Think about it. His ex-wife is in the hospital supposedly; no one knows that they’re divorced, not even her, and pretty soon, the world is going to know that he’s back with his first love. People can be fickle; the same people who have been clamoring for years for those two to get back together are the same ones who would vilify them for getting back together now. But that’s only part of it. I think she has it in for that Mary person.”

My kid, aside from being a mad scientist, is the most diabolical strategist the world has ever produced. I try to keep up with her mind, but I guess it takes another nutjob like Hank Mancini to understand her bullshit.

“You gave her the money already, didn’t you, you fuck?”

“Lyon, the money is there for the squad to use when necessary; she’s part of the squad, isn’t she? So why can’t she have access to the funds? Would you deny one of the guys if they asked? You wouldn’t even question what they needed it for because you trust them.”

“Fuck you. She’s ten.”

“Yes, and she’s smarter than all of us. Well, maybe not you, but you know what I mean.” This asshole is always trying to play me.

“Where did she send that girl?”

“She didn’t tell me this time.”

“I’m calling Russo.”

“He won’t tell you either.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because he works for her, not you. Leave those kids alone. Haven’t you ever heard that kids are the future?”

“Aha, so the truth finally comes out. You came after me to get your hands on my kid.”

“She wouldn’t be who she is without you. If Char had brought you in when she was supposed to, you wouldn’t have been any different from the way Catalina is now. In fact, you would’ve been worse, so stop pretending and let the kid do her thing.”

I hate that he knows me so well; it means I can never win a damn argument. I don’t even feel sorry for these Hollywood fucks that she’s about to unleash her shit on. Serves them right. “Well, since you two made this deal without me, leave me dafuq out of it. I got better things to do with my time. And I’m getting back to it now.”

In the last couple of days, when the boy wasn’t shut up behind closed doors with his girl, we’d been working him like a mule. Saunders really did bring in some coaches to train him because what he was about to do was not child’s play, and he could lose his life if he wasn’t careful.

The men and women he had to deal with would most likely die before they let themselves be exposed, and now that he knows the truth, as a layman, it might be hard for him to keep that truth hidden when facing those people. The good thing is the kid wants to make things right; in fact, he’s in more of a hurry than the rest of us are, which is a good thing.

It bothers him, as it should, that his name and image were used to traffic young girls into a life of hell. If it didn’t, I would’ve let Mengele have his ass and done my own thing getting those kids back, but since he’s so full of remorse, even though he had nothing to do with it, I’ll let him live.

Whatever else these people have going on ain’t got shit to do with me. Mancini can deal with the fallout. But I won’t be trying to save any of those fuckers from my kid. I’ll just take a page out of Mancini’s book and watch the fireworks. “You know what her motto is this week?” I thought his nosy ass was reading?

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” I rolled my eyes like Kat, fuck.

‘If you had not committed such great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”

“Genghis Khan?” Dafuq!

***

* Mary *

“I told you; no one knows where she is. And the Saunders people won’t let anyone get close to Ryder right now. You shouldn’t have come out here.” Has he always been this damn annoying and stupid? I guess I should’ve expected him to show up at my door when all else failed, even though I’ve told him a thousand times that no one was supposed to learn about our affiliation. It was too dangerous and would only lead to questions that were best left unanswered.

Everything is falling apart too fast for me to catch my breath. It seems that as soon as I put out one fire, another one rages out of control. Now this. He’s shown up at my door unannounced, expecting me to save his ass again. I probably should’ve helped him out when he first complained about his home going into foreclosure, but it’s not my fault that his daughter couldn’t finesse what amounted to chump change out of her husband. Stupid twit!

“Where else was I supposed to go? I don’t have a home; my daughter is missing, and her house is crawling with men in those stupid suits that won’t let me in. Somebody’s got to tell me something. I’m going to this Saunders guy’s place.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“What? Why? He’s just some big-shot producer. He can’t keep me away from my son-in-law.” He started to head for the door, and I wished I had a gun in my hand to take him out of his misery.

He’s always been a loose cannon. Not too bright and quick to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. “Stop right there, Andrews, don’t you understand, right now, this movie deal is the only thing we’ve got going for us. If this falls through, we’re dead in the water. His association with Saunders is the only thing keeping this whole thing from blowing up in our faces.”

“I don’t understand any of that. I told you I didn’t want any part of that other business; I just wanted my kid married, that’s all.”

“Yes, well, you still signed off on it, and you knew what you were getting into. You want to jump ship now, but it’s too late; you’re as much a part of this as the rest of us. And for your information, Chad Saunders isn’t just some producer, as you well know. He’s an eccentric holier-than-thou asshole who would bring this whole house of cards down on our heads. So get your head out of your ass and try to help me think of a way out of this mess.”

“So where am I supposed to stay? My wife has already gone to her sister’s place, but I can’t just sit around there doing nothing, and no one knows where Janie is.”

“Janie is fine, I’m sure. Ryder would’ve said something if she wasn’t. Didn’t he say that she was in quarantine?”

“Yes, but where?”

“Does it matter? You can’t go see her anyway.” I, too, have been worried about where she was, but Ryder assured me when I spoke to him a couple of days ago that she was getting the best care in a safe place.

If I had the time, I would’ve looked into it myself since I’m not one to leave anything to chance, but I have my own problems to worry about. “I guess you can stay in the guesthouse for a while, but you’ve got to keep a low profile. No one must know that you’re here.”

He seemed to calm down a bit, and I asked one of the staff to show him the way. Good riddance. I wish I had never gotten into bed with him and his stupid daughter, but she was handy at the time and would’ve done anything, including selling her soul to marry Ryder Sumner. If I hadn’t needed to get him away from that Elena bitch as soon as possible, I could’ve held out for a better prospect, but there’s no point in looking back at it now; that bull was way out of the pen.

I looked around my kitchen as if lost as if I’d never seen it before. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, staring into space while my mind emptied itself of everything but fear. I’ve never known fear like this. I’ve always been the one to instill fear in others, but now the tables have turned, and the enemy has me in his grip.

Speaking of enemies, I don’t know who or where mine is. I’ve tried and tried again to no avail, but this faceless, nameless person is nowhere to be found. And somehow, that makes the whole ordeal more stressful. I’ve sent my girls away to keep them away from all this, hoping against hope that it doesn’t touch them.

As long as they’re safe, there’s a chance for survival. My phone chimed, making me jump out of my skin. I dreaded looking at the message, but I knew if I didn’t, things would turn out worst for me. The last time I tried to ignore the text, there was a post made almost immediately after that exposed some very dark truths about Noel.

It wasn’t the worst that could’ve been exposed, but it was bad enough that my PR team was still trying to put out the flames. Letting the world know that one of my daughters had been less than honest in some of her business dealings wouldn’t have been the catastrophe that it turned into had it not been for everything else that was going on.

‘Two hundred million in three days, or I tell it all.’

“Two….” I dropped into the nearest seat as my heart raced with fright. Where am I supposed to get that kind of money on such short notice? I didn’t think for a second that they were bluffing; this was all becoming too real. They’d proven time and again that they knew things they shouldn’t, and I dread knowing what all they know.

I will lose everything that I had worked for. I’d have to sell my home, the girls’ homes, everything to make that kind of money. The businesses weren’t worth as much as we’d fooled the public into believing, but money brings money, so I had no choice but to lie about those things.

Beyond that, they haven’t been doing that well here lately, not since that idiot Janie went after Elena again and dragged my poor daughters into it, bringing them down with her. That’s where this had all started, over that one stupid post. What was it that this person had said? They shouldn’t have used his name. Whose name?